Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
AyeR: I got a message about it on Twitter. I guess they seen I was an up and coming artist and gave me this opportunity to have an interview. I think any opportunity is exciting, so I definitely took the chance.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
AyeR: Mottob, West Virginia. Geographically speaking, that’s Dunbar, West Virginia, a small city outside of Charleston. I lived in the western most part of Dunbar in this little town we call The Bottom. Mottob is bottom spelled backwards, and started using this term in the most recent years. My dad’s pretty much a handy man, and my mother has a bad back and nerves, so you can’t work. My dad wasn’t there for the most part, so I had to learn and do things on my own. I had my own job and money since I was 14 to help my mom around the house, so my life was always full of hard work, and learn new things to become a man and do for someone else. I’ve always had to grow up before my time. So I thought, “Why can’t I do something for once, for me?” Music is one thing I don’t have to work so hard at, because capture sound and perfecting it come natural to someone like me, someone who loves the craft, someone who only knows how to explain himself through music.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
AyeR: Well its kinda funny. I wanted to have a name with double-meaning. Something that I could represent as something rugged, and grimey for my street fans, cause i was born and raised in the hood, no matter what kind of person I am, I never forget home. I also wanted to show my fans that look at lyricism that AyeR that it may also mean Assault Riffle, but the different spelling shows AyeR means also “Accelerated Rhymes”. The “ye” in-between just makes it a full name.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
AyeR: Online music sharing is a great way to engage with new fans and new artists to work with. It also gives A&R’s and promoters to pick out who the want to work with next as well. I have given out music for free because I’m still trying to engage with enough fans to have the rock with me so hard, that they’re DYING for another AyeR drop. Won’t matter if they pay for it or not. If people want your music, they will get it.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
AyeR: Keep pushing. Don’t stop grinding. Call every venue you know about, look online if you have to. Find out the most popular spots in the hottest cities. It might be your city! Make sure you have a budget, because some of these venues might cost you, considering your up and coming. So take the time to invest in great product to sell at these events, especially if you have to pay. ANY airplay opportunity, take it. Radio stations are harder to get to if you don’t have a budget for them neither. So get on the phone or computer, and take one day and look up radio stations, call them, email them, bug them all and see which ones will give, and let you play some music!
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
AyeR: Yes I have, and that’s one major thing I’m working on. I used to get down when I messed up on something. One thing I’ve learned is that you have to keep positive before the performance. Get in your zone, eat something, listen to the songs your going to perform and rehearse what you and your team is going to do on stage. Practice make perfect even when your a band or a rapper. You got to make sure your perfect everything before you step foot on stage.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
AyeR: I haven’t had that luxury yet to tour. I would LOVE to so bad, but I just gotta work harder.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
AyeR: If its my own track, I’m pretty much a loner. Nobody’s really gonna feel my pain in my music if I’m not the one doing everything to it myself. Sometimes even the beat has to be made by me, cause most of these producers sound alike. If its someone else’s though, I have to feel their vibe first, so how the track goes. If I’m the vibe setter, then it’s just a natural ability I have to think of a song subject just by the vibe of the beat.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
AyeR: I have a website in the making for my own label that I formed with my child hood friends. We have a plan to drop it soon, along with a group ALBUM, not mixtape. But that’s later. I post on soundcloud, youtube, twitter, facebook, instagram, snapchat, and im working on vines.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
AyeR: I have two whole mix-tapes of embarrassing songs on Datpiff.com. one is call “The Best of Standout” & the other is “Business Before Pleasure”
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
AyeR: Upgrade my studio, buy me and the wife & kids a house, get a running car, upgrade my house, and invest everything else into the label and my first studio album.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
AyeR: To be honest, I still record at home with my computer, mic stand, pop filter and a mic. All I want is to be heard, the rest is history.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
AyeR: Word of mouth, blogs, and twitter promotion. The best element a artist can use is social media. That can turn a nobody into a celebrity overnight! You get heard on social media, all of a sudden your the trending topic, everybody is talking about YOU. Now you got blogs randomly wanting to promote your music for FREE. Now you got labels blowing your phone up. Thots all in ya DMs and inbox. Dudes wanting to collab all of a sudden.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
AyeR: Young Jeezy and Lil Dicky at Madison Square Garden. Because Young Jeezy is one of my biggest inspirations developing as an artist. Lil Dicky has showing me that I need some more developing. Im good, but not great. It takes time to blow, and it take a full-proof game plan to make it in this industry. They both shut it down when they perform! And it seem like they both blew overnight!
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
AyeR: I just dropped a new mixtape called, “WV Stand Up”. Months before that I dropped a mixtape called. “AyeR’s Inferno”. I have a music video out now called, “Smoke 1” featuring my artist on my label, Kazimir, and he also has a mixtape dropping in January of next year. I have a music video coming soon for the song WV Stand Up, which is on my soundcloud.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
AyeR: Working with my dad and helping his business.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
AyeR: Yes I do. I didn’t buy it, but someone let me have it. That Young Dro, best thang smokin’ album was fire. It was just raw, rugged street anthems. The music give you a hype feeling, no matter what song was played. The whole album had to give you chills, and thats what I wanna do to people, I wanna give chills down they back.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
AyeR: I had to get right with myself first. I had to make sure this is what I wanted, and I also had to make sure my wife was up for the task in supporting me. Of course she is, she loves my music. So do my sons! So, once you have your family on your side in what you do things get easier.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
AyeR: Tech Bass Studios, Views From The Chuck, the Tech Bass Studios Album, A mixtape from my fellow CEO, Bandz From The Mo, and a mixtape to finish out the year from me.. Just look forward to the West Virginia take over!
